Rating: 
Summary: I want to hear his voice
Review: I have just finished reading this book and it moved me to tears so many times. My nephew has autistic tendencies and I want to learn how to hear his voice as is often difficult to sustain any interaction with him. He is currently taking part in the Lovaas programme and I have seen some significant progress - he is much happier and settled and seems much more content in his world. He is still in his own world but slowly seems to be interacting more, sustaining eye contact and engaging in play and games with others, even if for very short periods. This book helped me to understand autism more and the Lovaas programme. This is the path my sister has taken and I want to support her as much as I can by using some of the techniques with my nephew when I am with him. I understand some of the criticisms of this book about it being very one sided about Lovaas and about having to have funds. However, Catherine Maurice has written a book about her own experience and if everyone did this as powerfully as she has done we would all have access to a lot more information. Yes, it is only one experience and that will not reflect other experiences. It is not a book written by an "objective" scientist but by a mother who wanted to share a painful and emotional experience in case it could help others. I applaud her and whatever life throws me, I hope I find at least some of Catherine's strength to face those obstacles. I found the critique from someone with autism interesting. I hadn't thought of the children feeling betrayed by their parent's reaction to autism. However the person writing this critique seems to have the power to articulate, read and interpret which if Catherine had left her daughter as she was, were qualities she may have never had. It is all very well the professionals and others saying just accept children as they are but if they are completely disconnected from the world and miserable, then they have little quality of life. And as a parent of a small child, I think I can speak for most of us, when I say all we want is for them to be happy. I found Catherine's advice on moulding children's behaviour interesting and useful. As a single parent, I am constantly agonising over what methods to use for discipline and I picked up some useful tips. I also agree with her that the world has gone "psychology mad" and links everything to the mother or emotional damage. My sister has also used the gluton free, caseine free diet and we have seen a marked improvement in my nephew's behaviour.
Rating:
Summary: Don't ignore a book written in 1994!
Review: If you are a parent of an autistic child - you need a few books on your journey. This is one of them. READ THIS ONE FIRST! To give you hope, direction and guidance in your journey called autism - start here. This is an amazing, inspirational book that give parents practical advice, from someone who understands how you feel and a guide to getting started on the road of recovery. ABA (Applied behavorial analysis) has helped my son Jeff get to be a big part of our world. Husbands and wifes needs to sit side by side AND Read this book.
Rating:
Summary: A must have for parents of young children with autism
Review: This book saved our lives. When our young son was diagnosed with autism we didn't know what to do or where to turn. Catherine Maurice has written a beautiful and honest portrayal of parents dealing with this dreaded diagnosis. We have followed her example and in three short months of using ABA, we have seen dramatic improvements in our son. If you are interested in recovering your child from autism, this is the first step. Thank you Catherine Maurice for helping our family and for giving us some direction.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent book - but has some flaws
Review: Oh my heart ached when I first encounted the term "cured" as described here. It's a good book - it's well written and I was barely able to put it down to cook dinner. Poignantly written and pleasantly hopeful. My main disappointment about this book is that it doesn't navigate into public school systems. In this book, the couple's children were diagnosed very young and they had the money and resources to provide individual care and training with their children (an option that few of us have). I KNOW they did a tremendous amount of work and effort to get their children to "cured" but that's not what many of us can expect or are even led to even hope for...but it offers hope. It's on my must-read list for anyone new to PDD/Autism, etc.
Rating:
Summary: Good preparation for ABA
Review: I read this after we tried ABA. If I had read it before, I would have been much better prepared for the stress it causes the entire family. If you want to try ABA, read this first.
Rating:
Summary: a great read
Review: This was the second book I read on the subject of autism - the first being much less optimistic. And for the optimism in this book, I thank the author. I also thank the author for bringing ABA to the limelight as a very wonderful therapy option for autistic children. She has undoubtedly forged a path through which the rest of us can come to get this service for our children. My daughter is flourishing with ABA. So I recommend this book for, as someone else put it, the shell-shocked parent with the initial diagnosis. It gives hope and sparks one to help their child and not accept they are stuck in this autistic world. I also recommend this book to the public in general - it is an uplifting tale of human accomplishment. Now, I must point out the downsides to this book - it probably does give some false hope to parents - having a child recover from autism is not as likely as one might perceive reading this. In fact, it may not be all that likely at all, though the message that our kids can do amazing things is very important! And I also think the author is fairly close-minded about other therapy options and choices other parents make - a bit of a righteous tone.
Rating:
Summary: painfully accurate but consistently positive
Review: As the grandmother of a recently diagnosed grandson, I've been reading all I can about autism. This book is full of hope, courage, wisdom, and honesty and I admire this mother so much. She paints a view of autism which is, from what I'm finding out, painfully accurate but beautifully written from the heart. The faith, hard work, and unending love come through page after page. If it were my call, and my call alone, my grandson's routine would be modeled after the intensive sessions described in the book. It explains behavior modification clearly with it's strengths and weaknesses as well as some other treatments for autism. I have given this book to other family members to read and take comfort in the possibilities....
Rating: 
Summary: good for diagnosis shock but it is self indulgent...
Review: This was the first book I read after my son was diagnosed with autism. In some ways it really helped to get over the initial trauma of the diagnosis and to get down to business with an applied behaviour analysis program from my son. The author's narrative is frequently whiney and self-focused. Even her "triumph over autism" is misleading for parents with autistic children. Children 'are' autistic it isn't something they 'have' or 'can recover from'. The author's narrative seems to need the reader to know that she really is a perfect mother after all. It is a worthwhile book but it requires an awfully large grain of salt to go with it.
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Summary: You might not agree with it all, but it's great reading
Review: As a parent of a child recently diagnosed as PDD-NOS, I'll read anything I can get my hands on that might shed some light on effective therapies. We had already evaluated a Lovaas-type program and found it to be inappropriate for our daughter, but I still think this book is entertaining and illuminating reading. I also think, after reading this book, that the ABA program she implemented for her daughter has more in common with floor-time/play therapy approaches than Ms. Maurice acknowledges (she gives a pretty devastating portrait of psychologists and their approach to autistic spectrum disorders and is dismissive of play therapy). I originally was distrustful of Ms. Maurice as a fanatical proponent of ABA but since reading her book I feel more admiration for her and believe I may modify our daughter's program to focus a bit more on behavioral approaches.
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous!!
Review: When I read some of the comments about this book I was really saddened. I can agree that there is no "cure" for autism, but I must also note that Applied Behavioral Analysis, being the therapy of choice for the Maurice family, has given my child a new life. This book is different because it offers parents hope: It clearly describes the trials a family endures as they struggle to bring their autistic child into their world. There is absolutely nothing wrong with fighting this disorder. After all, we should all want the very best for our children. We should all want our children to be able to function normally in society. I have patiently read through every review and wish to make a few comments of my own, having implemented an ABA program with my now 3-year old son, for nine months. ABA is rigorous therapy. It requires time and effort on everyone involved. But, it is worth every struggle, be it financial or otherwise. In no way has ABA therapy, as described in this book, harmed my child. I have not met anyone, nor have I heard of a family, who was not thrilled with the progress made by his/her/their child through ABA therapy. Our child has gained two years worth of development within a six-month period of having ABA therapy. In fact, my child scored a 37.5 (a half point above severely autistic) on the CARS (childhood autism rating scale) and is now considered to have "no autistic symptoms." We are also advocates for the Gluten-Free/Casein-Free Dietary Intervention; both ABA and dietary intervention are responsible for our son's miraculous progress...backed by lots of prayers. My husband and I cannot technically "afford" ABA therapy. We cannot afford to hire endless nannies and therapists. But I'll tell you what we have done, we have FOUND a way to do this therapy. Where there is a will, there is a way. We took out a home equity loan, got a newspaper article, had fundraisers, sold our cars, did craft shows, bake sales...and we're still pursuing our insurance companies. We even asked our families for help. We pay our bills week-by-week. And we do it for our son. We cannot put a price tag on his future. This therapy takes some getting used to, but it is worth any effort one can give. Our child hasn't had 40 hours every week. In fact, he's made steady progress with 20-32 hours every week. Don't make excuses for your child's autism when you can do something about it. The progression of autism CAN be reversed. There are many ways to cut costs and do this therapy. But it does require effort, dedication, consistency, and time. I love this book and I recommend it to anyone who wants a true account of what it is like to see one's child break out of autism. You may decide that the therapies implemented by the Maurice family are not for you...but that should not hinder you from at least pursuing the possibility of implementing ABA therapy. Read the book. It is a great reference, and if you wish to do the therapy, good for you. Your child will thank you one day.
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